The typical consumer of construction materials, such as lumber, plywood, and drywall is generally the average homeowner, builder, or remodeler. In most situations, the homeowner is not in a position to transport large quantities of these materials, as these materials are large, long, bulky, or the like. Usually the consumer resorts to having the lumber company or building supply company deliver the materials to the desired site; this transport generally is accomplished by flat bed truck.
As is often the situation, the delivery may include some defective or damaged pieces, be short a few pieces or have a few extra, have the wrong size or type of material, or the consumer may have miscalculated the number of pieces needed for the project. Any of these situations can require the consumer to return to or receive from the lumber yard or building supply company a few or several pieces of material.
Many consumers undertaking the task of a large building or remodeling project have access to a viable transport vehicle for the building materials; typically, the consumer has or can borrow a pick-up truck, trailer, or flat bed truck. In some cases, the only vehicle available is a typical sedan or station wagon. Nevertheless, rather than paying the lumber company or building supply company to haul a few pieces of building material, the consumer uses the transport vehicle available.
Transporting large items, such as plywood, drywall, and even framed windows, is typically done by laying these items flat on the transport surface, such as in the pick-up truck bed. Loading and unloading these material, which is done by sliding the material, can damage the corners and edges of the material. With some materials, the loads are tied down, which can further damage the materials. Also, while the vehicle is moving, the load can shift and slide; this is particularly common when the building materials do not conform to the size of the transport vehicle load area. A shifting load can be dangerous, both to the transport vehicle and to surrounding traffic; the materials may have to be retied or repositioned en route, reloaded differently, and any lost materials would have to be retrieved from the road where they fell. Any or all of these situations lead to lost time and money on the part of the consumer.
For example, a common size for a sheet of drywall or plywood is 4 feet by 8 feet. One common size pick-up truck bed is 4 feet by 61/2 feet. In order to transport the building material in the truck bed, the tailgate must be left down or open; this often results in the material sliding out of the bed onto the road during transport. As another example, some building materials can have a size, for example, of 3 feet by 5 feet. When placed in the 4 by 61/2 pick-up truck bed, these materials slide around in the bed, damaging edges and corners. Sliding of material can often occur in full-size pick-up beds, which are generally 4 feet by 8 feet.
What is desired is a better mode for transporting large items such as plywood sheets, drywall sheets, and the like.